Little Victories

Patience and perspective go a long way toward realizing difficult goals.  The latest happenings are published here to remind us of the little victories for our children and our school district.

2006-2007 School Year

[July 2007]  During a special board meeting called for an annual self-evaluation, board members recognize that the divisions between them are great.  Perhaps this is a first step toward ending the ludicrous public facade of unity and to begin healing wounds.

[May 2007]  While painful and political, the failed budget does curtail what was considered by many to be overly ambitious or even wasteful technology initiatives.

[March 2007]  School board candidates include some new faces, a sign of increased interest in our schools.  Meanwhile, the administration backs down from an overwrought technology plan and settles on piloting on a smaller scale.

[December 2006]  A strategic planning committee meets to discuss the future direction of Readington schools.  An effort is made to include differing viewpoints.

[October, 2006]  Newspapers and websites expose the lack of recess available to our students, bringing up for public discussion one "quality of life" issue our students face.

[September, 2006]  Our school board finishes hiring for the missing administrator positions and new Superintendent Jorden Schiff begins his first school year with Readington.

2005-2006 School Year

[June 27]  The school board funds the start up of an educational foundation for Readington schools, a move which could help funnel private money into the public school and form new relationships in the community.

[June]  After an intensive search, a new superintendent is selected--Dr. Jorden Schiff--to lead Readington Schools and finally provide some stability for the district.

[March]  A large number of school board candidates stepping up to the plate is an indicator of a community which values education and has a depth of field not found everywhere.

[February]  The school board moves forward with an effort to seek a new superintendent and attempts to differentiate Readington from other current searches.  Stakeholders are asked for input into the process with formal meetings.

[January]  A replacement principal for Three Bridges School is hired (Kristen Higgins) and a search firm to begin looking for a permanent superintendent is agreed upon.

[December]  The school district releases and publicizes their goals for the year, a first in recent memory.

[December]  An advisory committee for members of the public to become involved in the budget analysis is formed.

[November]  Board members, recognizing a need to better involve the public in the budget process, begin a series of presentations on aspects of the budget.

[October 11]  At a board meeting an official representative of the district confirms that parts of the testing program the previous school year did not yield useful data and were seen as a mistake.

[September 27]  Interim superintendent Jim Sheerin details his efforts to conduct interviews with representatives of all district stakeholder groups in order to define areas for improvement.

[September 16]  Readingtonparents.org turns one year old!  Happy birthday to us.

[September 6]  A second school board meeting conducted under the pressure of a delayed opening due to construction is subdued, realistic and productive.  Under the leadership of interim superintendent Jim Sheerin, the board meetings are again about making progress rather than making war.

[August 18]  In answering a question on why Readington has not met Annual Yearly Progress under the No Child Left Behind Act, interim superintendent Jim Sheerin gave a Hunterdon Democrat reporter a thoughtful answer. He noted: "What we should be doing is trying to establish realistic benchmarks for each and every child, so that they can learn at their rate rather than at a rate and benchmark that has been imposed nationally."

2004-2005 School Year

[July 28]  A new interim superintendent, Jim Sheerin, is asked to take the helm of our district.  Authentic change is on the horizon.

[July 21]  A thoughtful letter published in the Hunterdon Democrat (True Measure of Success) by a Whitehouse Station resident points out the absurdity of using standardized tests to measure students.

[June 22]  Coverage of the courtesy busing issue in the Hunterdon Review and Hunterdon Democrat solidifies understanding of the compromise.

[June 20]  A compromise on courtesy busing is worked out at the Readington township committee meeting.

[June 15] The Star Ledger reports on the courtesy busing controversy, further publicizing the political gamesmanship being played out in our district.

[June 7]  In another well-attended school board meeting parents and residents make clear that they see through the transparent attempt by the school board to blame others for their own mistakes. 

[May 24]  A well attended school board meeting indicates that parents are sitting up and paying attention.  The issue of courtesy busing is discussed in depth, and the Superintendent shows signs of seeking to broker a compromise in order to clear this issue aside.

[May 19]  A front page article in the Hunterdon Democrat exposes the gamesmanship going on between school leaders, board members and township committee members, the latter whom are being condemned by board members for enforcing the will of the voters.

[May 10]  At the school board meeting the board members accepted the recommendations of the superintendent for changes in administrative staff positions, and rejected one move widely seen as a poor choice.

[May 2]  The administration this week began implementing changes in leadership in an effort to address concerns by stakeholders. 

[April 26]  The board meeting is the first with four new members.  Input by the public, including a letter read by a former school secretary, appears to register with the board. The Hunterdon Democrat covers the public input in detail.

[April 19]  A large and forceful voter turnout for the school board election and the budget referendum leaves no doubt as to the mood and desire of the public.

[April 14]  An article in the Hunterdon Democrat concerning stakeholder discontent with certain administrative leadership and concerning the high turnover rate of Readington teachers highlights the unchanged issues we face.  In the same newspaper, six letters to the editor are published that touch on the low teacher morale, the lack of communication, and some of the shenanigans of political insiders.

[March 31]  The Hunterdon Democrat publishes an article by Chris Ruvo concerning the the superintendent's new contract and the controversy over the timing.

[March 13]   All the remaining school board candidates offer information published on this website for the public.

[March 1]  An amazing five school board candidates are announced to be running for three available slots, indicating substantial interest in change.

[February 22]  In spite of petty restrictions and censorship, a presentation on district marketing is given at the board meeting on this date in an effort to reach across the table.

[February 17]  The Hunterdon Democrat publishes an article noting that a presentation on communications will be given to the Board on February 22 by the editor of this website.

[January 25-27]  The board sets in motion a series of presentations by outside professionals with the goal of improving communications with the public.  Coverage by the Democrat notes the first presentation at the January 25 meeting.

[January 20]  The Hunterdon Democrat and Today in Hunterdon both publish articles on the January 11 board meeting and offer quotations from members of readington.org.

[January 11]  In a surprise move at the board meeting, board member Mark Berry proposes individual voice mailboxes for board members. After a tense debate, the motion is passed by five members of the board. Hip, hip, hooray!

[January 1,  2005]  A review of statistics for this website indicates that in the last four months of 2004, the average number of unique visitors per month was 396.  (This number does not include multiple visits by the same person or computer.) The average number of page views per month in the same period is 3520.

[December 9] Four letters to the editor appear in the "Hunterdon Democrat" concerning our campaign, a further indication that our campaign is raising awareness.

[December 2]  Coverage of the November 23 Board meeting appears in the "Hunterdon Democrat", mentioning both the frothy comments of detractors and the comments of the editor of this website.

[November 17-18]  Members of readingtonparents.org compose and send a tri-fold mailer out to residents of the township explaining recent developments and urging participation in Board meetings. A letter to the editor on the same subject is published in the "Hunterdon Democrat".

[October 29, November 2] Responses to various Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests reveal problems with oversight of the Superintendent's office and shows the true cost of the testing suites purchased to date from CTB/McGraw Hill. 

[October 27]  Reporter Julie Farneski writes in the Hunterdon Review about the October 19th meeting with CTB McGraw Hill, increasing awareness of the issue even more.

[October 22]  Two more web links to this website are active, The Florida Coalition for Assessment Reform recommends our site, and Executive Director Monty Neill from Fairtest.org endorses our site on the Interversity.org mailing list.

[October 21]  The newspaper "Hunterdon Democrat" publishes a comprehensive article on our campaign and on the meeting of October 13th. Some important statements were witnessed by the reporter and included in the article.

[October 20]  The local newspaper "Today in Hunterdon" publishes another article on the testing issue, covering the October 13 meeting.  The article is balanced, accurate and helps spread the word.

[October 19]  At a public meeting with a representative of CTB/McGraw Hill, two hairline cracks appear in the administration's facade. First, there is a sudden emphasis on student portfolio assessment that was absent before. Nearly every speaker mentions it.  Second, the Superintendent mentions that testing at the start of the next school year will be delayed by a few weeks to allow for children to become settled in their classrooms. 

[October 13]  The Courier-News publishes our letter to the editor introducing our cause to a wider audience. 

[October 7]  An article, prompted by a press release, appears in Today In Hunterdon in which the website and the Superintendent are quoted.  Interestingly, a factual error in the article regarding a teacher in the district reveals both that the reporter blindly took the word of the Superintendent and that the Superintendent apparently believes the teacher is responsible for the website.  A simple "whois" lookup on the internet shows the actual domain registration, which does not include the teacher.  Perhaps the Superintendent cannot comprehend that a non-educator can have a grasp of the issue.  NEWSFLASH: This is about parents and their control over their own children's education, not about Superintendents and their control over their teachers. 

[October 7]  A letter to the editor is published in the Hunterdon Democrat. It is publicly signed by 15 people.  More parents and stakeholders wanted to sign, but space is limited in the paper. 

[October 6]  A flyer concerning the October 19 meeting with a representative of CTB/McGraw-Hill is sent home. The meeting is billed as a workshop to understand the "home report" that will follow the standardized tests. The meeting now requires registration!  Gee, is there suddenly concern over the available seating?  Be sure and sign up.

[October 1]  Author, speaker and activist Susan Ohanian, an outspoken critic of standardized testing, puts up a link on her own website to readingtonparents.org.

[September 20]  Author of the book Standardized Minds, Peter Sacks, emails readingtonparents.org and wishes us luck in our efforts after reviewing the website.

[Late September]  The website and the cause are introduced to parents and administrators via business cards distributed at bus stops, in mailboxes, and at public meetings.

[September 16]  Readingtonparents.org quietly goes live.  The first hits appear the following day when word spreads to Readington parents and stakeholders.